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The Promenade plantée is an extensive green belt that follows the old Vincennes railway line. Beginning just east of the Opéra Bastille with the elevated Viaduc des Arts, it follows a 4.7 km (2.9 mi) (2.9 mi) path eastward that ends at a spiral staircase leading to the boulevard Périphérique beltway. At its west end near the Bastille, the parkway rises 10 m above the surrounding area and forms the Viaduc des Arts, over a line of shops featuring high quality and expensive arts and crafts. The shops are located in the arches of the former elevated railway viaduct, with the parkway being supported atop the viaduct. This portion of the parkway runs parallel to the avenue Daumesnil. The parkway intersects the Jardin de Reuilly near the rue Montgallet and descends to street level. At that point, it becomes a grassy mall and then follows the old railway direction below street level towards the east, passing through several tunnels. As it reaches the rue du Sahel, it splits, with one portion continuing to the beltway, and the other terminating in the square Charles-Péguy along the former path of a branch line that once linked to the Petite Ceinture railway.[1]

The elevated part of the route, on the viaduct, has some enclosed sections, as when it passes between modern buildings, and some open sections with expansive views. In addition to the Jardin de Reuilly and the square Charles-Péguy, the Promenade Plantée also includes the Jardin de la gare de Reuilly, with its preserved but unused railway station, and the square Hector-Malot. Other abandoned railways have been converted into parks and parkways, but the Promenade Plantée was the first green space constructed on an elevated viaduct.[1]

The western portion of the parkway may be accessed via stairways and elevators leading up to the elevated viaduct. This portion is reserved for pedestrians. The eastern portion of the parkway is accessible via ramps and stairways and is open to both pedestrians and cyclists. The west end can be reached from Bastille by walking 300 m south on Rue de Lyon, then left on Avenue Daumesnil. The staircase entrance is immediately on the left where Avenue Daumesnil enters rue de Lyon.[1]

The Promenade Plantée is built on the former tracks of the Vincennes railway line, which beginning in 1859 linked the Bastille station to Verneuil-l'Étang, passing through Vincennes. It ceased operation on December 14, 1969; part of the line beyond Vincennes was integrated into Line A of the RER, while the Paris-Vincennes section was completely abandoned.[1]

Beginning in the 1980s, the area was renovated. In 1984, the Bastille station was demolished to make way for the Opéra Bastille. The Reuilly area was designed in 1986; it incorporates the old commercial rail depot of Reuilly into a group of park areas. The Promenade Plantée was put into place at the same time in order to reuse the rest of the abandoned line between the Bastille and the old Montempoivre gate to the city. Landscape architect Jacques Vergely and architect Philippe Mathieux designed the parkway, which was inaugurated in 1993. The arcades of the Viaduc des Arts were renovated in 1989 by architect Patrick Berger,[2] as was the new square Charles-Péguy.[1]

Paris' 4.7 kilometres (2.9 mi) parkway was the only elevated park in the world for some years, until[not in citation given] the first phase of the High Line, a similar park on an old railway-viaduct in the West Side of Manhattan New York City, was completed in 2009.[3] The second phase was completed in 2011, bringing the total length of the High Line to 1 mile;[4] the third phase opened in September 2014, completing the park.[5]Chicago has recently opened the nearly 3-mile Bloomingdale Trail, which will run through several city neighborhoods and allow bicycles.[6]

12th arrondissement of Paris

The 12th arrondissement of Paris is one of the 20 arrondissements, or boroughs, of the capital city of France. In spoken French, this arrondissement is referred to as douzième ("twelfth").

Bastille (Paris Métro)

Bastille is a station on lines 1, 5 and 8 of the Paris Métro. It is located near the Bastille Square and former location of the Bastille and remains of the Bastille can be seen on line 5. The platforms for line 1 are situated below road level but above the Bassin of the Arsenal and Canal Saint Martin in a short open-air segment. The western end of the line 1 platforms have the sharpest curve used by passenger trains on the Métro, with a radius of only 40 metres (131 ft). The line 1 platforms, at 123 metres (404 ft) long, are significantly longer than the average Métro platform length.

Dugommier (Paris Métro)

Dugommier is a station of the Paris Métro on line 6 in the 12th arrondissement.

Daumesnil (Paris Métro)

Daumesnil is a station on lines 6 and 8 of the Paris Métro in the 12th arrondissement.

Bel-Air (Paris Métro)

Bel-Air is a station on line 6 of the Paris Métro in the 12th arrondissement. The station is located in the Boulevard de Picpus, between the districts of Picpus and Bel-Air.

Ledru-Rollin (Paris Métro)

Ledru-Rollin is a station on line 8 of the Paris Métro, named after the Avenue Ledru-Rollin.

Montgallet (Paris Métro)

Montgallet is a station on line 8 of the Paris Métro, named after the Rue Montgallet. The station opened on 5 May 1931 with the extension of the line from Richelieu - Drouot to Porte de Charenton.

Michel Bizot (Paris Métro)

Michel Bizot is a station on line 8 of the Paris Métro, named after the Avenue du Général Michel Bizot.

Bois de Vincennes

The Bois de Vincennes, located on the eastern edge of Paris, is the largest public park in the city. It was created between 1855 and 1866 by the Emperor Napoleon III.

List of parks and gardens in Paris

Paris, France today has more than 421 municipal parks and gardens, covering more than three thousand hectares and containing more than 250,000 trees. The following is a list of public parks and gardens in the city.

High Line

The High Line is a 1.45-mile-long (2.33 km) elevated linear park, greenway and rail trail created on a former New York Central Railroad spur on the west side of Manhattan in New York City. The High Line’s design is a collaboration between James Corner Field Operations, Diller Scofidio + Renfro, and Piet Oudolf. The abandoned spur has been redesigned as a "living system" drawing from multiple disciplines which include landscape architecture, urban design, and ecology. Since opening in 2009, the High Line has become an icon of contemporary landscape architecture.

Bloomingdale Line

The Bloomingdale Line was a 2.7-mile (4.3 km) elevated railroad running east-west on the northwest side of Chicago. In 2015, the City of Chicago converted it into an elevated greenway called The Bloomingdale Trail, which forms the backbone of the linear park and trail network called The 606. This elevated park passes through the Chicago neighborhoods of Logan Square, Humboldt Park, and West Town.

Paris Métro Line 8

Paris Métro Line 8 is one of 16 lines of the Paris Métro. It connects the Balard station in southwestern Paris to Créteil – Pointe du Lac station in Créteil, following a parabolic route on the right bank of the Seine. The last line of the original 1898 Paris Métro plan, which opened in December 1913, it was initially intended to link the Porte d'Auteuil and Opéra stations.

Gare de la Bastille

Gare de La Bastille was a railway station in Paris. The station was opened in 1859 and served as the terminus of the 55-kilometre (34 mi)-long line to Vincennes and Verneuil-l'Étang. The line was opened only to serve the Fort de Vincennes, and was extended to La Varenne and later to Brie-Comte-Robert. The line finally reached Verneuil-l'Étang in 1892, and connected to the line to Mulhouse. Part of the line was included into the RER A on 14 December 1969. The station was demolished in 1984 so that the Opéra Bastille could be built.

Linear park

A linear park is a park in an urban or suburban setting that is substantially longer than it is wide. Some are rail trails, that are disused railroad beds converted to recreational use, while others use strips of public land next to canals, streams, extended defensive walls, electrical lines, highways and shorelines. They are also often described as greenways. In Australia, a linear park along the coast is known as a foreshoreway.

Jean-Camille Formigé

Jean-Camille Formigé (1845-1926) was a French architect during the French Third Republic. He served as the chief architect of historic monuments of France, and also as the chief architect of buildings, promenades and gardens of the city of Paris. His son, Jules Formigé, was also a prominent architect.

Viaduc des Arts

The Viaduc des Arts - located in Avenue Daumesnil 1-129, in the 12th arrondissement of Paris, France - is a rehabilitation of the former “Viaduc de Bastille” carrying the railways of the Paris-Bastille - Vincennes train line. This rehabilitation project was designed in 1988 by the architect Patrick Berger under the direction of the SEMAEST. It is hosting a section of the Promenade Plantée, and many art galleries and shops.

Elevated park

An elevated park refers to a park located above the normal ground (street) level. This type of a park has become more popular in the early 21st century, featuring in a number of urban renewal projects. While usually associated with repurposed transportation infrastructure, some elevated parks are designed on top of buildings.